A Glint in The Horizon
by Wannabeauthor
Summary: This girl came into my mind a couple a months ago, and afterwards her story developed. I decided to write it down, so let me introduce you to...Sarah Haven.
1. Default Chapter

**Chapter 1, My immortal**

'I'm so tired of being here, suppressed by all my childish fears.

If you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave.

'Cause your presence still lingers here, and it won't leave me alone.

These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real, there's just too much that time cannot erase...' -Evanescense

The house was quiet, too quiet. And when she saw the drops of red on the floor, Sarah really started to become afraid.

'Dad?' she said. There was no answer. Sarah couldn't bring herself to speak again, the silence was too overwhelming. The whole air shuddered with forebidding, something horrible was going to happen, she knew it.

She entered the living room. There he was! But - no!

Her beloved father was lying face down on the carpet. And there was blood - lots of it.

Sarah didn't have the courage to go over to him. She didn't want to see, didn't want it to be true.

There was a creak on one of the floorboards. Sarah uttered a silent scream. Her mother... she must've flipped entirely... Fear, surpassing any form of it she had previously known, clutched her heart tightly.

'Sarah, darling...' Sarah jumped, her heart pounding too loud for her mind to work. Her mother was in the doorway. Her hair was nicely curled and her clothes without a stain. But her eyes, they were lit with a terrifying glint, they were eyes who would haunt Sarah for years to come.

'Darling, come here...' Her mother sent her an insane smile before she pulled out an enormous knife. Sarah screamed in panic and ran...

Sarah woke up drenched in sweat, and buried her face in her hands. She was so sick of the nightmare that had haunted her for the past two years. She looked around her yellow, cozy room. From the landscape paintings to the teddybears, everything in there was perfectly soothing. There was no reason for being afraid and having nightmares.

'Calm down,' she said to herself 'it was a long time ago, it's time you got over it.'

Luckily it was almost sunrise, so she didn't have to torture herself with trying to sleep again.

Sarah had lived at her fosterparents' for two years now, and it still didn't feel like home (Not that Sarah's original home was anything to boast about). Mr. and Mrs. haven were wonderful, but she couldn't bring herself to love them the way she should.

The fact that the Haven's were so nice, in spite of the way she sometimes treated them, caused serious damage to Sarah's conscience. In an odd way, it would've been better if they were bad people.

She went out to the bathroom and splashed water in her face. In the mirror above the sink she saw two intense, brown eyes looking at her. She could see a hint of the night's fear in them, but it was quickly disappearing. She couldn't let the past get to her the way it did.

Suddenly she smiled at herself. A real smile out of pure joy, not a fake one for the sole purpose of not hurting her fosterparents.

Everything was going to get better. Her real life was about to begin. Tomorrow she would be on her way to the place she had been longing for -Hogwarts.

Sarah spent the whole day packing with April. Sarah wasn't able to call her 'mom', and April refused to be called Mrs. Haven, so a compromise had been made.

When they finally were done, it was late. Sarah was feeling restless. She couldn't wait to go to King's Cross tomorrow, but at the same time she was nervous. Sarah had never had any friends before, almost hadn't talked to people her age. Her phsycotic mother had kept her indoors and away from all other children as far back as Sarah could remember. To make up for her social shortcomings Sarah had found out all she could about Hogwarts, hoping this would make her interesting for the others.

'I've made cinnamon buns, Sarah!' April's aged, but beautiful face was smiling warmly at her. 'And John will be home any minute. I know you're both so fond of these buns.' Sarah sent April a smile. John and April Haven's life, which seemed so meaningless to Sarah, was much more bearable when she knew she would be leaving the next day.

Sarah woke up Sunday morning, with a big smile on her face. Outside her large window the sun was making the colorful garden look like a tropical paradice. Sarah smelled her new-washed hair. It smelled like the white roses by her window. Due to her restlessness last night, she had composed her own shampoo.

She jumped out of bed and managed to dance around the room while putting on her white, favorite summerdress.

In the kitchen April had made french toast, another one of John and Sarah's shared favorites. Fact was, John and Sarah liked just about all food.

'Good morning, Sarah,' said John's merry voice. 'Big day today, eh?' Sarah smiled at him.

'It sure is.'

After a lot of motherly fussing from April they were on their way to the station. As they got closer to it, Sarah's happiness was slowly but surely being replaced by insecurity. When John had loaded her trunk onto a trolley she said in a small voice:

'I'd rather go alone.' The effect of so few words... it was almost scary. Sarah was so ashamed with herself seeing their hurt faces.

'Alright then, dear,' April said in a brave voice. 'Good luck! We'll see you at christmas.' John just waved and smiled. Then they left.

Sarah felt very small and completely alone in the world, watching the crowd around her. Why had she made them go away? Aw, no, Sarah, get a grip, you're supposed to be a big girl now.

She took a deep breath.

'Right...platform 9 3/4...it must be in that direction,' she said encouragily to herself.

Getting to the Hogwarts Express was no problem. John had explained it to her, 'Just take the platform nine barrier at a run, and don't be afraid to crash 'cause then you will.' It was a typical John explanation, but it was efficient, Sarah was soon facing the scarlet engine. Finally, she was here.

But as she watched all the other kids being hugged and kissed by their parents, she couldn't help her chest from tightening.

'Oh, don't be stupid,' she muttered 'it was you who told them to go away.'

On her way to the train with her trunk, Sarah noticed a boy who looked alone like her. He had untidy, black hair, glasses and too big clothes. Maybe she could make friends with him? He looked nice. But just as she started to head towards him, two red-haired twins came over and started helping him with his trunk. Sarah sighed and concentrated on getting her own trunk onboard, a pretty exhausting task.

When her things were finally on the train, Sarah went to find somewhere to sit. All the compartments were full of people, laughing and talking. But as much as Sarah wanted to make friends, she didn't dare join them. Just going into a compartment full of unfamiliar people was too frightening. You're a coward, Sarah. And it will get you nowhere.

Even though she knew she shouldn't, Sarah found an empty compartment. As she sat down, she felt her heart droop to her stumack. This wasn't like she had imagined the train ride at all.

Just to have something to do, Sarah took out her new things to have a better look at them.

She couldn't wait to start using the spellbooks, Defense Against the Dark Arts especially interested her. Sarah had always liked to daydream about being a powerful and mighty witch, who rid the world of evil and was admired by everyone.

But it was a silly dream, Sarah was just a little blonde girl who didn't even know any hexes. She knew it would never happen, but couldn't give up the vision entirely.

She took out her cauldron. She thought happily of how exciting it would be the day she made her first potion.

Her wand caught her eye. It was a beautiful wand. 12 inches long, made of holly with a unicorn hair in the middle. She admired it for a while, before she put it back in the trunk and ran out of things to do.

Two boring hours later Sarah finally thought of something.

She got out her beloved disc-man, a muggle feature given to her by April and John. Sarah was a big fan of muggle-music, and muggle-music was what you could listen to on a disc-man.

Sarah put on a Maria Mena cd, and sat back in her seat, listening with tears burning behind her eyelids.

'Just a little bit stronger, just a little bit wiser.

Just a little less needy, and maybe I get there.

Just a little bit pretty, just a little more aware, just a little bit bitter,

and maybe I get there...'

All reviews are very much appreciated! -HHH-


	2. Seven years

**Chapter 2, Seven years**

'A little girl with nothing wrong, is all alone. Eyes wide open, always hoping for the sun. And she'll sing her song, to anyone that comes along...'

'Firs' years! Firs' years, over here!' To Sarah's excitement they were finally there after a whole day of uneventfullness. Now she was in the middle of all the Hogwarts students, trying to get to the giant man who was calling for them.

In the end, she managed to fight her way over to him. She heard a boy say 'That's Hagrid, the gamekeeper.' The boy had sleek, silvery blonde hair and a pale face. He was talking to two very large boys. Sarah decided to move a bit away from them.

Hagrid led them down a steep hill to a lot of boats. On the other side of the big lake they apparently were going to cross was Hogwarts Castle. Sarah thought it looked really impressive, with all it's towers and turrets, a home for noble and talented witches and wizards. She couldn't wait to be a part of them.

'On'y four in each boat!' Hagrid called and pointed at the boats. Two black-haired twins joined Sarah's boat. They were both very pretty girls, and smiled in a cute way as they greeted her and introduced themselves as Padma and Parvati Patil.

'And who are you?'

'Huh?' Parvati and Padma exchanged looks.

'What's your name?'

'Oh, of course,' Sarah felt her face redden 'I'm Sarah Haven.'

'Nice to meet you,' said Parvati, as if she wasn't quite sure about this.

'Nice to meet you too!' Sarah, poor thing, was doing her best.

There went a while in silence, Sarah was desperately searching her brain for something to say.

'So, what houses do you want to go in?' Sarah was very pleased with herself for coming up with this question (Which says something about Sarah's people skills...).

'What houses are there?' Padma asked. Oooh, this was great. Sarah opened her mouth to answer, but Parvati was quicker.

'Gryffindor, Rawenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin.' Damn. There was some more silence.

'Hm...I don't really know...' Padma said at last. Luckily for Sarah they were on the other side now, she had been about to start discussing the recent minister for magic election, which had been a big topic home at the Havens.

The first years followed Hagrid up to a big oak door. Sarah felt the excitement rising inside her. Hagrid knocked on the door, and it was immediately opened.

Professor McGonagall was standing in the doorway. Sarah sent her a feeble smile, McGonagall was a good friend of April and John's.

Professor McGonagall however, didn't see her, and led the first years into a room next to the enormous entrance hall. Sarah could hear a lot of of noise coming from somewhere nearby, probably where all the other students were. She was getting really apprehensive now.

Professor McGonagall started talking, but Sarah wasn't able to listen. Stupid enough, she had never thought about finding out how you were sorted into houses; a piece of nformation that would have been highly useful now. She was gettting increasingly nervous, and feeling a little alone again.

She looked around the room for Parvati and Padma. They were almost standing next to her, so she went over.

'Hi,' she said, a little awkwardly.

'Hello,' said Padma. Two girls standing next to them looked curiously at her. Sarah looked curiously at them too. One of them suddenly grinned.

'I'm Hannah Abbott,' she said. Sarah nodded. Silence. Sarah gave herself a mental kick for doing the same mistake again.

'I'm Sarah Haven. What's your name?' No, she didn't mess up, the question was directed to the girl standing next to Hannah. She looked just as nervous as Sarah felt.

'My name's Lavender Brown.'

'Nice to meet you,' Sarah replied, feeling she was getting better at this by the minute. But then, as if to prove her wrong, she couldn't come up with anything else to say.

Professor McGonagall was back. Sarah was starting to feel seriously nauseos now. They all followed her into a huge hall full of people. Were they going to be sorted in front of everyone?!

Well, the sorting wasn't that bad after all, Sarah could constantate an hour later. She was happily sitting at the Gryffindor table, eating chocolate icecream.

She was sitting with Parvati and Lavender, who had also been sorted into Gryffindor by the Sorting hat. They hadn't said much to each other yet, but Sarah was hoping the three of them would be friends.

Parvati's twin sister Padma had been sorted into Ravenclaw, and Hannah Abbott to Hufflepuff. Sarah hadn't really noticed anyone else of the first years, except for one more person, who was impossible not to have noticed, because everyone had been all excited when his name was called.

A few seats away from her, the skinny, black-haired boy, Harry Potter, was sitting. Sarah noticed him even more strongly now than the first time. There was something a little bit magnetic about him, Sarah couldn't help shooting a glance in his direction now and then. She wasn't alone in doing that, though.

Later, when Sarah was done with many helpings of icecream, Headmaster Dumbledore got up and gave a few messages. Sarah knew him faintly too, he visited the Havens from time to time.

Then, at last, it was time to go to bed. They followed a tall, red-haired prefect up the stairs. After a long and tiring walk, they entered the Gryffindor Common Room. Sarah instantly liked it, the room was large and very home-like.

Parvati, Lavender and a bushy-haired girl Sarah didn't know were climbing the stairs already. Sarah quickly followed.

'My name is Hermione Granger,' said the unknown girl when they had reached their dormitory.

'Sarah Haven,' Sarah said and reached out her hand to greet Hermione curteously. What sounded suspiciously like a snort came from Parvati's direction. Hermione took Sarah's hand and said 'pleasured to meet you!' Sarah just nodded, a weird feeling in her tummy.

Even though she was really tired, Sarah couldn't sleep at once. Annoying enough, she couldn't get Parvati's snort of her mind. Weren't they going to be friends after all?

Sarah greatest fear was to end up alone. Her entire life she had had no-one but herself, and she hated it. She simply wasn't strong enough to face Hogwarts by herself too. She felt like a weak and stupid little girl who no-one wanted to know.

Oh, come on, Sarah, one little snort and you're broken. How weak are you?

She really didn't know.

Sarah was standing on a narrow stripe of land, looking at a tall mountain ahead of her. The sea was beating hard against the rock ground she was standing on. Well, she knew she had to go through the passage under the mountain, so she started walking.

It was a long time since she'd been been in Avaliento now, almost a month. Sarah had never understood whether her frequent visits to the island were very bizarre dreams or something more.

Since the age of six she had been taught here, and it had helped her through her waking life.

Sometimes she had even been taught by the Lady herself, Fiovienna, a beautiful, queenly woman. Fiovienna was the thing about Avaliento Sarah wondered most about, because she was so alike Sarah in appearance. They both had long, sun-like, golden hair and very strong, brown eyes. And they were both tall and slender with beautiful faces. But no matter how hard Sarah tried she couldn't find a reasonable explanation for this.

There were other things to wonder about too. Like, was Sarah still lying in her pyjamas in her bed, at the same time as she was dressed in a beautiful white, gown and a blue, hooded, cloak on a sunny island far away?

Now she was out of the mountain passage. The beautiful island almost made her gasp, even though she had seen it hundreds of times before. She was on the top of a hill, and so had a good view.

There were green fields all around her, full of flowers and little rivers. The air smelled sweet and made her want to dance down the hill like an idiot.

Behind Tumi's cabin, which Sarah was heading for, was a large forest.

Tumi was the woman who taught Sarah about herbs and food and those kind of things. One of the things Sarah had learned from Tumi was how to make brownies that healed bruises and wounds.

Sarah happily skipped down the road to Tumi's hut, feeling like a little girl again, without a care in the world.

She loved everything about Avaliento, the way the sun warmed her face, the sounds of the nearby sea, the fresh scent from the numerous flowers, the wild animals she'd never seen except here, all the useful things she learned here and the nice people who taught it to her. In Avaliento she wasn't alone or insecure, she was little Miss Sarah who everyone loved.

'Hello, miss Sarah!' Tumi was sitting outside in the sun, slicing mushrooms. 'How are you?'

'Good,' Sarah smiled 'and you?'

'As well as ever.' Tumi was one of the oldest people in Avaliento, and one of Sarah's favorites.

'Do you know what mushroom this is, miss Sarah?' Sarah took a closer look at it.

'It's an yvonmushroom.'

'An what is it used for?'

'It is used in potions to keep lice of the roses.'

'Very good.'

'Tumi...can I ask you something?' Sarah sat down on the soft grass, helping her slice the mushrooms.

'Of course you can.'

'What is this place?'

'It's the home of the Elves of he Order of the Phoenix.'

'I know that, but... well, how can I be here, when I'm not here?' Tumi sighed.

'I understand you're growing up, miss Sarah.'

There was silence for a while. Sarah was getting sick of 'silences for a while'.

Truth is, I don't really know. I don't know why there are so few of us here, when there used to be so many. I don't know why people who left are suddenly here again. And I don't know how you and...you came to be here, when you are in England at the same time. I'm guessing it has to do with the Lady...or the day when the sea became uncrossable.'

'Uncrossable?'

'One day, long ago, we found out, to our shock, that it was no longer possible to cross the sea into the mainland. It was an odd day.

We were dying out, Voldemort and all his features were killing so many.

We were too few left, the race of the elves was doomed, our power comig to an end. We had to leave the world in someone else's hands now.

When the sea became uncrossable there were only five-six people left of the once so mighty people. All the others had died, and two had left, long ago.' Tumi looked sadly at the glint of the sea in the horizon. 'A few years later the Lady came. And later, a few others.

I don't know what sort of place this is anymore. Maybe it is a memory from long ago, or a piece of land, stuck in the mist of time. maybe all the magic in the world comes from here or maybe it is a meeting place for the living and the dead.'

Sarah shivered.

'Are...are you dead?' The sun on the sky seemed to grow weaker.

'No...atleast I have no memory of dying, or an other life than this. But there are others here who are.' Tumi got up.

'Well, we can't sit here and chat all day. Follow me, we're going into the forest to find bellaherbs. I'm going to teach you a very interesting potion today.'

Tumi started walking towards the forest path.

'And Sarah?' she turned her head to look at me 'don't tell anyone I told you this.'


	3. Caged bird

**Chapter 3, Caged bird**

'Right now I feel like a bird. Caged without a key.

Everyone comes staring me. So much joy in reverie.

They don't know how I feel inside, through my smile I cry.

They don't know what they do to me. Keeping me from flying.

That's why I say that I know why the caged bird sings. Only joy comes from song. She's so very beautiful, to others. Why don't I just set her free?

So she can fly, fly, fly... Spreading her wings and her song.

Let her fly, fly, fly... The whole world to see...' - Alicia Keys

The first schoolday was awful. Parvati and Lavender quickly seemed to become a dream team, and they didn't seem too happy to have Sarah following them around and sitting next to them in classes.

Sarah was hurt that Parvati wasn't interested in her, and couldn't really understand what she'd done to deserve it.

Now they were having dinner, and Sarah was sitting next to Parvati and Lavender, though not joining in the conversation.

She was considering her other classmates, searching for someone to make friends with. A few seats away from her, chatting with Parvati and Lavender, was a black boy called Dean Thomas and an irish boy named Seamus Finnigan.

They were already becoming a team, just like Parvati and Lavender.

On the opposite side of the table, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, a tall, freckly, red-haired boy were sitting. They seemed to have made instant friends as well.

Sarah just didn't get it. What was wrong with her? Why didn't anyone want to be her friend?

Harry smiled at her. She hadn't realised she'd been looking at him. She quickly looked down at her Shepherd's pie and concentrated on it. Yes, she definetely liked him, he was special. But right now, she didn't exactly feel like she would ever be tying a closer relationship with anyone.

Her eyes fell on the last two Gryffindor first years, Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger. They didn't seem to fit quite so excellently in either.

After just one day at Hogwarts Sarah thought it seemed like Hermione was a top student and Neville quite the contrary. But she wasn't going to judge them just yet. Maybe tomorrow it would all be different. She sure hoped so.

After doing a little bit of homework in the common room she went up to the dormitory early. Parvati and Lavender had actually come over to sit with her, but Sarah had a feeling they did it just to get help with their homework.

Sarah took out her beloved discman and put in a Coldplay cd. She was really in need of music now.

She pushed play. No reaction. She did it again. No reaction.

'Don't panic,' she told herself. She changed te batteries. Then pushed play. No bloody reaction!

Tears of frustration started to leak from her eyes as she tried all the buttons. Her only comfort, the thing that was going to get her through it all...

She laid the precious discman down in the trunk again. She needed music.

After half an hour of sulking on her bed she started to sing, just for comfort.

'Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry, you don't know how lovely you are...'

She found herself standing on the narrow stripe of land this night too. But the good mood she usually got here, didn't come. Maybe you couldn't escape all your worries here after all.

She sighed and started to walk.

On the other side of the island a very similar girl was in a bad mood as well.

For some reason the sheer delight of Avaliento seemed to have faded after Sarah's talk with Tumi. There were unknown things to worry about here too.

'Growing up sucks,' Sarah muttered. Then a little louder.

'Growing up sucks.' She felt boldness rise inside her.

'GROWING UP SUCKS!!' she yelled as loud as she could. She felt a smile creep into her face.

She was starting to enjoy the sun again, and her steps were getting lighter.

Tumi's hut was bypassed, she didn't feel like messing with herbs today. She walked on for a while, not able to figure out what she felt like doing. In the end she settled for merely walking.

A long walk later she was standing near an enormous forest. Or really, it was _the_ enormous forest. Other forests here, like the one behind Tumi's hut, were only a quarter of it's size at most.

Sarah had never been allowed to enter the forest, it was dangerous they said, and since there was no way around it she had no idea what laid beyond.

By dangerous did they mean 'too big for little miss Sarah,' or really dangerous?

The darkness under the trees did seem dangerous. And the path was very narrow. Sarah took a few steps in. The world seemed to hold it's breath.

She took a few more steps. The forest was incredibly beautiful. She took a deep breath and walked further in. It went darker for every step. There wasn't a sound. Not even wind in the trees.

Sarah was starting to feel unsure. She had a strong feeling that there was something very important for her to find out on the other side. She had to walk on.

She shaked her head so her hair flew around like a golden windstorm. Ater the somewhat exaggerated headshake a very smart thought fell into her mind. This feeling that she had to walk on could be what was dangerous about the forest. The forest was trying to trick her right into whatever peril was hidden there.

She should turn back. At once. Now. It was very hard. And the fact that it was hard to turn convinced Sarah it was the right thing to do.

She ran out from the silent forest, with a feeling she'd lost something very valuable.

The morning had been bad. She followed Parvati and Lavender around, trying to come up with interesting things to say (Did you hear about that escaped house-elf?)

At the moment she was talking to Hermione Granger as Parvati and Lavender seemed to have disappeared.

'Oh, they're both dentists,' Hermione said in reply to Sarah question about what her parents worked with.

'Dentists? What's that?'

'Er...well..they fix people's teeth. It's a muggle thing.'

'Oh, so you're muggleborn?'

'Yes.'

'Wow, that must be interesting. They do a lot of weird stuff, muggles.' Sarah laughed.

'Sorry,' she added, seeing Hermione's face.

A week later her life seemed like a living nightmare. She dreaded every schoolday. She loved the classes and studying magic, but it was horrible not to have any friends.

Yesterday, Parvati and Lavender had sighed exasperated when she came over to them, and after that, Sarah had just given up.

Being alone was what she dreaded most in the world, so she felt very vulnerable walking down corridores alone, sitting in classes alone, eating breakfast alone, eating dinner alone, doing homework alone, not having fun alone, being angry alone, crying alone...

After just one day of it she felt like drowning herself in a toilet (Well, maybe not a toilet, but..)

It was pretty late, but Sarah didn't want to go to sleep. She decided she needed a little adventure, so she snuck out of the castle.

She walked restlessly around in the grounds, thinking about everything and nothing. At last she sat down by the Forbidden Forest, not too far from gamekeeper Hagrid's cabin.

A Maria Mena song that had always made her cry came to mind, and, like Sarah Haven tended to do, she started to sing.

'Mum, please tell me what to do. I'm so disappointed in you.

You said those words that made me cry, and you always wondered why,

why I sing my lullaby.

Mum, please hurry home to me. I waited up so patiently. You said some when I start to cry, but you never asked me why, why I sing my lullaby. Why I sing my lullaby...

Was it my fault, that led you in the wrong direction?

Was it my fault, that didn't show you any affection?

I show you when I start to cry, still you always wonder why, why I sing my lullaby...why I sing my lullaby..

Mama, love me if you're cold. You'll just get bitter, then grow old. Ask me when I start to weep, and I'll tell you in my sleep, why I sing my lullaby...

Why I sing my lullaby...'

It was over in a flash, but Sarah was sure she'd seen it.

A tall woman in a white dress standing in the forest with tears in her eyes.

After a few seconds it felt more like something she'd dreamed as a child than something that had just happened.

For a few minutes she stared into the forest, thinking about this, but it didn't make sense to her no matter how she saw it.

Back up in the castle she had to walk very carefully so she wouldn't be caught.

On her way through an empty corridor she suddenly got snatched into a room. The door behind her slid shut, and the hands who had dragged her in dropped her on the floor. Her heart pounding madly, she looked up to see who had dragged her in.

'I must say Fred, that the resemblance to Snape is uncanny.' It was the red-haired twins, Ron Weasley's older brothers.

'I think we should treat her to a dungbomb as well. Get rid of this horrible smell of roses.' The twin called Fred wrinkled his nose in pretended disgust.

'What are you doing here?' Sarah asked, feeling very stupid down on the floor.

'Well, put it this way, old Snape is coming by in...' The other twin, George, consulted a piece of parchment 'ten minutes, I'd say.'

Sarah's lips formed into an evil smirk.

'And you have a dungbomb in the corridor?'

'Not only a dungbomb, an invisible dungbomb.'

'You have an invisible dumgbomb in the corridor?'

'Not only an invisible dungbomb, twenty-three invisible dungbombs.'

'You have twenty-three invisible dungbombs in the corridor?'

'Correct. Not too quick on the uptake are you?'

'And I expect they're garlic charmed, since you are such experts?'

Fred and George blinked.

Sarah smiled in a superior sort of way.

'Watch and learn.' She marched out in the corridor and-

'Stop!' said George 'you almost stepped on one.'

'I know, that why I _almost_ stepped on one.'

Fred and George exchanged looks.

Sarah muttered the spell words and thought about garlic, as Tumi had instructed. She didn't need her wand, she'd been trained to do some wandless magic in Avaliento.

Satisfied, Sarah stood up and went back into the little room where Fred and George were gaping at her.

'What exactly does garlic charmed mean?'

'Think about something that describes garlic.'

'Small, white and onion-like?' Fred suggested.

'So smelly that even vampires can't stand it?' Said George.

'Impossible to get rid of...' Sarah grinned mischieviously.

'I like the way your mind works,' Fred was grinning too.

'Not sure it'll have any effect though,' said George thoughtfully.

'Why?'

'Snivellus already smells so bad he wont know no difference.'

'Snivellus?'

'That's what they've labelled him on the map.' George showed Sarah a complex map of Hogwarts with a dot labelled 'Snivellus' moving rapidly towards their own dots.

'That's an awesome map!' Sarah exclaimed.

'The secret to our success,' George nodded wisely.

'So don't tell anyone about it,' Fred added.

'Sure thing,' Sarah smiled. She felt like a whole new person.

'Ooh, here he comes,' Fred whispered, an evil glint in his eyes. They could hear footsteps outside.

Then there was a loud yell from Snape as he trod on the dungbombs. Fred, George and Sarah burst into silent laughter fits, listening to him.

They heard him say something like 'The culprit will be found and punished' before he stalked off, coughing and cursing.

Giggling, they watched the Snivellus dot moving quickly to the dungeons.

'Ah well, ' George sighed 'enough for tonight.' They hurried out the door and ran as fast as they could away from the very-foul smelling corridor to prevent being victims for their own spell.

'Well, well, well, young Sarah,' said Fred when they got to the Common Room 'you seem like a promising new nuisance.'

'We'll be watching you,' George said, and they both winked at her before they went up to their dormitiories.

Sarah went to bed, feeling thoroughly happy for the first time ever at Hogwarts.

A few weeks later Sarah was standing alone in a corridor, feeling, not at all for the first time ever, thoroughly depressed.

Fred and George greeted her in inventive ways when they met her, but that was what they remained, greeters. Why didn't anyone have anything to say to her than 'hi'? She didn't care if it was a 'hi!' from two twins dressed as bananas in the middle of blue smoke, or from gigantic blueberry pie's flying towards her and hitting her in the face (she revenged on the twins for that one, they walked around with flowery hats on their heads for two days until she finally agreed to remove them) , they were still just 'hi's'...

She heard footsteps approaching from the other end of the empty corridor. Wonderful, just what she needed.

It was the pale, blond boy and his two, huge friends.

'Hi,' said the pale boy. Sarah tried very hard to ignore the ironi in this.

'Hi,' she said.

'My name's Draco Malfoy,' said the pale boy with a smirk. 'And this is Crabbe and Goyle.' Haven't they got the wits to introduce themselves? Sarah thought, looking at the two, large Slytherins. Then she realised she was about to make the same old mistake.

'I'm Sarah Haven.'

'Ah, Haven. You're a pureblood then.'

'Yes,' said Sarah, mentally rolling her eyes.

'I notice you haven't got so many friends?' Sarah surveyed Draco for a moment.

'You notice right.'

'You can be friends with us.' This struck Sarah as suspiciously kind, coming from a Slytherin.

'Why?' Draco laughed.

'Why not?'

Why not? He had a point there.

This night she decided to go the palace, or the château as they called it in Avaliento. Sarah had long ago figured out that the island was french, though where in France it was, she didn't know, in spite of all the maps she had studied.

The château was a wonderful building. It was blendingly white, with lots of fair, slim towers and white, smooth marble walls. All around the château was a glorious garden with all plants imaginable. Sarah was now skilled with a lot of plants because of that garden, and it's master, Touillot.

The path through the garden was made of white marble and surrounded by rosebushes in all shapes and sizes. Sarah picked a red one, and put it in her hair. She loved roses above all other flowers.

'It is the women's flower, the rose.' Touillot's happy, aged face emerged from behind a bush he was trimming. 'I can see that you are growing up, madam Sarah.' Sarah smiled, a little sadly.

'I suppose I am.'

'Don't take it so hard,' he said and winked 'it get's better in time.' He continued cutting the rose bush. 'The lady is down by the sea if you wanted to see her.' Sarah smiled gratefully and ran of into the garden to get to the other side of the château, Touillot always had a way of knowing what she wanted.

'Bonjour, Sarah.' The Lady was siting on the warm rocks by the sea, looking at the setting sun. 'What was it like, starting at Hogwarts?'

'Do you know about Hogwarts?' Sarah asked in surprise.

'Of course I do.' Sarah sat down next to her.

'How do you know about it?'

'I went there myself once.'

'Really?'

'Yes. And the first years were awful.'

Sarah looked at the many red tones in the sunset for a while.

'I can't say I like it there either.'

'It gets better.'

Sarah didn't say anything. Twice she'd heard those words now, but she found them hard to believe. The fact that the Lady had once attended Hogwarts was also quite hard to swallow.

'Lady... can I-'

'How many-'

'Alright, Fiovienna then.'

'It is impolite to-'

'You did it first.' Fiovinna grinned.

'You win, I did. Well, as to why I'm here when I once went to Hogwarts... I'm not completely sure myself.' Sarah was quite used to Fiovienna knowing her questions before she asked them. The pair of them watched the magnificent sunset in silence. Both girls golden hair flew around in the warm wind. Sarah could tell that Fiovienna was considering whether to tell her more or not.

'I died, a long time ago, and then came here.' Sarah chanced one quick look up at Fiovienna's sad eyes. 'Why I came here is a mystery to me, but I am guessing I wont leave again until I've fulfilled my task.'

'What is your task?'

'To ensure that the elves don't fail their purpose. There may be few of us left, but we must help the world with this last evil before we disappear out of history. I wanted to fulfil that purpose because I knew that if I didn't...' Fiovienna's head was turned away from Sarah, all she could see was her hair. She opened her mouth to ask the vital question in all of this, but Fiovienna spoke again.

'I have to go now, Sarah.'

Sarah sadly watched Fiovienna walk towards the château for a while, then turned her head back to the sunset.

She had a lot to think about. Fiovenna as a little girl at Hogwarts was very hard to imagine. Also, it made her face the fact that Fiovienna was real, she had lived in England, she had had a life. And then she had died and ended up here. Would that happen to Sarah too?

And what was this evil Fiovienna talked about? The only thing

Sarah could think of was Voldemort. But he had been killed, long ago, by Harry Potter.

Maybe Harry was one of the elves? And he had done the thing that Fiovienna failed to do? In that case, why was she still here?

It was getting dark now. All that could be seen of the sun was a faint red glow in the horizon.

Sarah pulled her hood over her head and started walking back to the mountain passage. The sun set in Avaliento when it rose in England, so it would soon be time to wake up.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah could see the enormous forest. There still was something that dragged her to it, she was desperate to find out what was on the other side.

Then the reasonable part of her min broke in and told her she shoul never have gone against everyone's advice and entered the forest. Now it would continue to drag her to it everytime she saw it.

Stars started to appear in the sky and Sarah was reminded of her visit to Norway last year (Which was why she liked so much nordic music). Northeren lights, red, green and golden, started to dance around the sky and the air got colder. It was as if somethinghad brought the polar winter to Avaliento. Sarah shot one more glance at the forest and the unexplored northeren part of the island before she drew her cloak closer around her and walked quickly towards the mountain.

She was out on the tongue of rocks in the sea now, and felt herself gradually disappearing from the island and waking up in England.


End file.
